There is an eternal Will working out Its incalculable purpose. Man can align himself to this eternal Will or work at cross-purposes to It. Yet in either case, ultimately the eternal Will is bound to prevail. We can only choose the path towards that.
"... yoga itself has evolved and changed as humanity has evolved and changed. For each Age there is a yoga appropriate to the Age. It is in this context that we try to trace in brief the evolution of various yogic systems."
The road to Self-Realisation undertaken by Aswapati is through a stilling of the Mind leading to an ascension into a vast, luminous and powerful Silence Above.
Pain is the signature of Ignorance. But what compelled the immortal soul to become subject to death and Ignorance? Well, its own unique choice since thus alone it could arrive at its fullest blossoming.
Russia is a land impregnated with the seed of spirituality. Deep within its past, it was the land through which ancient mystics or Rishis migrated from the Arctic region during the previous Ice-Age towards more habitable regions. Another way is to look within its soul that seeks to establish the Ideal of Brotherhood and Fraternity in humanity. Finally, to the devotees and disciples of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, Russia is indeed a special place being the place of Her last incarnation just before the present one.
"All appears to me beautiful, harmonious, silent, in spite of the din outside. And in this silence, it is Thou, O Lord, whom I see, and I so perceive Thee that I can only express this perception as that of a constant smile."